Temarcus Jones made the most of his first start as a quarterback for East. Louis on Friday night.

A senior, Jones found Greg Taylor in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 4 minutes 48 seconds remaining to push the Flyers to a 19-14 come-from-behind win over Kansas City Rockhurst in a high-profile interstate football game.

“First game starting is tough on any kid,” East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said. “Game-by-game he’ll get better. For Week 1, I thought the kids did a pretty good job.”

Taylor’s score came at the end of a six-play, 87-yard drive, when Jones kept the TD play alive by scrambling from the far to near side where he set his feet and hit a wide-open Taylor.

From there on, the Flyers defense, which had been stout all evening, kept the Hawklets from getting to midfield.